Strength

Prayers

A Blessing Prayer

May the God of strength be with us,
holding us in strong and loving hands,
May we be the sacrament of God's strength
to those whose hands we hold,
May the blessing of strength be with us.

May the God of gentleness be with us,
caressing us with sunlight and rain and wind.
May God's tenderness shine through us
to warm all who are hurt and lonely.
May the blessing of gentles be with us.
May the God of wonder be with us,
delighting us with sunrise and sunset, enchanting our
senses, filling our hearts, giving us wide-open eyes
that we may see the splendor in both the humble and majestic.

May we open the eyes and hands and hearts of the blind and deaf and the insensitive.
May the blessing of wonder be with us.
May the God of compassion be with us,
holding us close when we are weary and hurt and alone.
And may we be the warm hands and eyes of compassion
for our sisters and brothers when they reach out to us.
May the blessing of compassion be on us.

May the God of simplicity be with us, opening us to a clear vision of what is real and true,
Leading us deeply into the mystery of childhood.
And may our dealings with others be marked by honesty, which is simplicity.
May the blessing of simplicity be on us.

May the God of joy be with us, thrilling us with God's nearness,
filling our hearts to fullness, and filling our throats with laughter and song.
May our joy bring life and joy to others.
May the blessing of joy be with us always.
May the God of love be with us.
May our lives be continual giving and receiving of love with our God,
our friends, and with all whose lives we touch.
May God's love in us light fires of faith and hope,
and may the fire grow and burn deeply and enflame the earth.
May the blessing of love and friendship be with us always.

- Author Unknown

Sarum Primer Prayer

God be in my head
and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart
and in my thinking;
God be in my end
and at my departing.
-c. 1514

May What I Do Flow From Me Like a River

I believe in all that has never yet been spoken.
I want to free what awaits within me
So that what no one has dared to wish for
May for once spring clear
Without my contriving.
If this is arrogant, God, forgive me,
But this is what I need to say.
May what I do flow from me like a river,
No forcing and no holding back,
The way it is with children.
Then in these swelling and ebbing currents,These deepening tides moving out, returning,
I will sing you as no one ever has,
Streaming through widening channels
Into the open sea.

Your Loving Support

God, oh God, it is you I seek.
And, with your constant loving support
I will even try to seek you in lost causes,
those dark and forgotten places that I can't imagine you present.
And yet you are there.
Help me to be there too,
seeking, finding, proclaiming your goodness
even as the day darkens
and my spirit draws back to my false safety of self.
Fill me with wonder of your goodness,
replacing my self doubt with confidence
in you and your sure and steady help.

For Strength and Wisdom

Thank You, Lord, for being there for me and allowing me to cry out to you in my times of need. It is amazing to me that the Lord of the Universe would take time to listen to me and to care about what I say.

God, there are things happening around me right now that I do not understand. Some of these thinks make me feel weak, helpless, and afraid.

Even in the midst of this, I know that you are the Lord.

I know that the situation is in Your hand, and I trust You.

I beseech you for strength and for wisdom that I would be able to endure his situation and be able to handle it in a way that would bring glory to Your name.

Leading in Our Lives

God,
we are your beloved.
Even in our unfinished state,
you take delight in what we are
and what we will become.
Help us to claim for our own your gentle leading in our lives,
help us to know you are always hoping for more for us
and from us.
Give us the strength and peace of heart
to be filled with your power.